Shenandoah National Park / SW Pennsylvania / Cleveland OH

Greetings!

We left New River Gorge NP / West Virginia last Wednesday and headed to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.  Overall, we have been blessed with great weather, but the day we travelled to Virginia was quite rainy.  Fortunately, the roads were mostly highway and as always, Paul navigated with great skill!  We arrived to Shenandoah that afternoon and although sprinkling, the sun eventually came out.  The main scenic roadway of Shenandoah National Park is Skyline Drive which runs along the Appalachian mountains (and trail) - 105 miles north to south with the north end being about 75 miles from Washington DC.  We stayed at Big Meadows campground which is located right in the middle and it is one of the few times we will be camping in a national park this summer.  It is a "dry" campground which means that we rely on just our Airstream - no power, water, or sewer.  Thanks to our batteries and solar power and a full water tank, we did just fine for the 3 nights we were there.  Although storms came through in the late afternoon most days, we were able to get out and enjoy 3 hiking trails during our visit.  

Our campsite was lovely and private - lots of tent campers around us and often a deer would amble by!

A mama doe and her baby - a frequent site at this campground

The day we arrived, we walked to the Visitor Center to get trail information and we set off the next morning on our first hike - Stony Man Summit via the Appalachian Trail.  All 3 hikes were beautiful - we did this one in the morning before lunch and it was about 2 miles - up to the summit (350 feet elevation gain) and then back down.  The views of the Shenandoah Valley were incredible and the weather Gods were with us. 

So many cool things to see along the trail - Paul captured this Mourning Cloak butterfly

After the hike it was time for lunch and we dined at another area of the park called Skyland - they have a pretty dining room overlooking the valley.  We read that the blackberry ice cream pie was a must have and who were we to argue?

We suffered through and finished it!

After lunch, we decided to do another hike to work off the pie - we headed to Hawksbill Summit for a 2.5 mile hike with 502 feet elevation gain - the views were just as stunning as our morning hike.

Another deer along the hiking path . . .

The next morning, we headed to Dark Hollows Falls.  This hike was on the other side of Skyline Drive and for this one we hiked down to the falls and then hiked back up.  Just over 2 miles but with 630 feet of elevation gain and it kicked my butt!  But it was beautiful and very different from the previous day's hikes.

After the falls, the trail went up, up, up!!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Shenandoah - now it was time to head to southwest Pennsylvania; we left Saturday morning and headed to Ohiopyle State Park.  We chose this location due to its close proximity to the two Frank Lloyd Wright houses - Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob.  We stayed here for 2 nights.

The drive out Skyline Drive was beautiful and it was a gorgeous day.  Lots of winding roads and descending hills as we headed away from the park.

It was a beautiful campsite - very private and lots of trees.

Chef Paul preparing yet another delish meal!

Ohiopyle is known for the falls that go right through the center of town.  There is lots of whitewater rafting and recreation there.

On Sunday, we toured two Frank Lloyd Wright houses, starting with Fallingwater.  It was fascinating and beautiful and we had a great guide.  This house was designed in 1935 as a vacation home for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family, owners of Pittsburgh's largest department store.  The Fallingwater site was originally a summer camp complete with cabins, tennis court, running track, clubhouse and swimming pool.  Fallingwater's main house was built mostly by local craftspeople in 1936-38, followed by the guest house construction in 1939.   The Kaufmann's had just one child - Edgar Jr. - who donated the house to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in the late 50's after his parents passed away. 

The Visitor Center was beautifully done and a great way to start the experience.

Our guide Theresa was lovely and informative.  She is standing in the living room where they used natural boulders in front of the fireplace.

One of the most iconic components of this house are the stairs that go down from the living room and end at a small platform just above the river.  

These are the top of the stairs from the inside - and when the windows open, a cool breeze comes up from the river which is very helpful during the summer months as there is no AC.

Paul in the living room - not sure if you can see the ear piece over his right ear, but you wear that so you can hear everything the guide is saying - was so helpful as we walked around quite a bit.  There were 13 of us in her group.

After the tour, we walked the trails around the house - this trail brought you to the Paradise valley overlook - really such a beautiful area.

That same afternoon, we then toured Kentuck Knob - another Frank Lloyd Wright house that is about 10 minutes from Fallingwater.  This house had a very different feel and was built about 20 years later when Frank Lloyd Wright was 86.   This house provided a more cozier, "lived-in" architectural experience.  The house was developed for I.N. Hagan, the owner of a local ice cream firm and friends with the Kaufmanns.  They, however, lived in this house full time.  As they were aging, they put the house on the market in the early 80's and it sat for a few years before by the Palumbo family of London purchased the home in 1986 and still own it.  They maintain the property as a historic site and vacation home, continuing to preserve Wright's architecture while offering public house tours and displaying an extensive outdoor sculpture garden, to include a piece of the Berlin wall.

A montage of whimsical birdhouses greeted you upon arrival to the visitor center.

Another great guide - Sara - showed us the house and shared great info and details.

A Frank Lloyd Wright signature tile is just to the right of this house's front door; Fallingwater does not have one.

The next day, we departed for the Cleveland, Ohio area.  En route to Ohio, we visited the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA, and it was our privilege to honor the 40 heroes who thwarted the hijackers plan of flying into the US Capitol building.  The memorial is so well done and it is hard to believe it has been almost 25 years since 9/11.  The timeline is so interesting as Flight 93 was delayed 25 minutes, taking off just 4 minutes before the first plane hit the World Trade Center.  When the hijackers took control of the plane around 9:30am, passengers and crew started calling their loved ones using the plane phones and soon found out what was happening.  At 9:57am, the passengers and crew began struggle for control of the cockpit and plane and 6 minutes later it crashed in this very rural setting in the middle of southwestern Pennsylvania.   In just 18 minutes flying time, it would have struck the US Capitol.  It's an incredible story so beautifully told throughout the museum and grounds - very moving.

We then continued onto Richfield, Ohio - a half hour south of Cleveland.  One of our Airstream club  member benefits is a program called Airstream Courtesy Parking that allows members to enjoy free, overnight camping on the private property of fellow Airstreamers across the United States.  This is the first time we have taken advantage of this program and our hosts - Tom and Judi - were absolutely lovely and had a beautiful yard and setting where we camped for 3 nights.   Their house is 10 minutes from Cuyahoga National Park and a half hour from Cleveland.  The setting was beautiful and we also had a chance to spend an evening with them around a campfire.  We feel grateful to have met so many interesting and wonderful people through the Airstream club and this was an ideal experience.

Host Tom and Paul chatting in front of their barn (where they store their Airstream); Tom built the barn himself, along with the garage and most of their house - incredible!

One evening we enjoyed a campfire in their driveway and chatted until nearly midnight!

Judi took this photo as we were leaving.  

We spent both mornings in the national park.  The first day we hiked to Brandywine Falls - about a 4.5 mile high with 587 feet of elevation - so pretty!

The hike went over several streams - the trail was in great shape.

The next morning we biked on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.  Mules once walked the path, pulling canal boats.  Today, it is a popular multi-use trail that connects the park to Cleveland and Akron.  The trail system is about 120 miles in total, of which 20 miles is in the National park.  It is a beautiful flat trail and we went about 15 miles along the river.

Paul spotted a beaver swimming along - very cool!

The first afternoon, we went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland which was a lot of fun - they had a big exhibit about all of the musical guests of Saturday Night Live which was particularly entertaining.

The main reason we wanted to spend time in Cleveland was so Paul could check out his old neighborhood - Fairview Park - just west of the city.  Paul and his family lived here during the 70's and early 80's and it was so fun to take a walk down memory lane.

Paul in front of his family's home in Fairview Park - the neighborhood hadn't changed too much and it was great to hear all the stories!

This morning, we left Cleveland and are now in Elkhart, Indiana.  We are camping in the parking lot of the RV Museum and Hall of Fame.  It was really fun to see older RV's and learn more about their history.

In the driver's seat of "the Bird" - a restored Bluebird bus driven by Marc & Trish Leach of Keep Your Daydream - a YouTube channel we loyally follow!

We head to Michigan tomorrow and will spend 3 weeks with our friends Dan & Diana Halvorson from San Diego (Dan and I became friends in college).  At the last minute, we actually met up here and went to the museum together, which was so fun!   They headed to Michigan this afternoon and we will catch up to them tomorrow.  We are really looking forward to exploring this beautiful state together - more on that in the next post.  

Well - if you made it this far - thank you for reading along!  We so appreciate your love and support and will be in touch again soon!  Love, Jen & Paul